Because the Bible presents itself as the Word of God, it also requires men and women to get that message right. To get the message wrong is to be a false teacher.
Listen to Jesus: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matt. 7:15-23).
When it came to the Sadducees, Jesus did not hesitate to “call them out:” “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29).
Paul condemned false teachers in no uncertain terms: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
You and I should be very careful how we approach the word of God. It might be very easy to condemn Protestantism and Calvinism and Premillennialism (yada, yada, yada), but are we examining our own lives and teachings in light of God’s word? Just because we have always believed something or always practiced something does not mean it is consistent with the word of God. My mom taught me that when I point my finger at someone else, I have three fingers pointing back at me. Let’s examine ourselves in the light of Scripture first, then others.
The Hebrew writer was writing to the second (or third) generation of Christians when he said, “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard” (Heb. 2:1-3).
While we are correcting those in error, let’s do our best to make sure we are applying the Bible’s teachings to ourselves also.
Paul Holland